


Special Delivery

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [110]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill, Science Experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for E-Cards prompt: <i>Any, Any, Happy Delivery Guy Appreciation Day</i></p><p>In which John is a delivery guy, and he really wants to know what Rodney's building in his basement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Special Delivery

“Sign here,” the delivery guy said. He handed Rodney the package scanner with the attached stylus, and Rodney hastily scrawled his name on the screen.

“Where’s the other guy?”

“Eric? He got re-assigned.”

Rodney gave the new guy a once-over. He was in much better shape than Rodney’s normal delivery guy, who’d always looked one step away from a heart attack. Tall and lean, with an easy smile and an impressive set of cowlicks.

“I’m John.”

Rodney waved that off. “I’ll never remember that.”

The guy’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s literally the easiest name in the world to remember.”

“No, my own name is the easiest for me to remember.” Rodney tried to close the door, his mind already on his project, but the delivery guy used his foot to keep it open.

“Have a nice day, Dr. McKay.”

“I will once I get back to work!” Rodney snapped. He applied more pressure to the door and the delivery guy had to jerk his foot out of the way. The door closed with a satisfying _thunk_ and Rodney headed back down to his basement lab.

*o*o*o*

“Sign here,” the delivery guy – Gene? George? – said. “You order a lot of stuff, Dr. McKay. This is the third time I’ve been here this week.”

Rodney signed his name and handed the scanner back. “The other guy was never this chatty.”

“Can’t blame me for being curious.”

He’d brought four big boxes, one of them so heavy he needed to use his hand cart. Rodney was going to have to unpack that one upstairs and carry the contents to the basement piece by piece.

And maybe he’d noticed the muscles in the delivery guy’s arms as he was putting the boxes in the entry way and been distracted for just a minute. At least he hadn’t caught Rodney staring. 

“Have a nice day, Dr. McKay.”

“You too, uh…”

“John.”

“Right.” Rodney closed the door on John’s amused face.

*o*o*o*

“Sign here.”

“You know you don’t have to say that every time,” Rodney complained. “I know the procedure.”

“Force of habit,” John said agreeably. “So the boys and I have a pool going that you’re building an airplane in your basement.”

“What?” Rodney handed the scanner back. 

John nodded his head at the day’s delivery, several boxes from Lockheed Martin.

“You can’t build a plane in a basement. Even uneducated delivery boys should know that.”

“No offense taken, thanks,” John said. “So what _are_ you doing in your basement?”

“If you think I’m going to tell you that just because you have a pretty face, you’re sadly mistaken.” As soon as Rodney realized what he’d said he slammed the door shut. Maybe he needed to contact the delivery company and request a new driver. Someone less…distracting.

*o*o*o*

Rodney was absolutely not skulking by the front door, waiting for the delivery truck to pull up out front. He was just checking on the status of the guy who came once a week to mow his lawn; it was Thursday and he didn’t come on Thursdays, but that was neither here nor there.

When John finally rolled up out front, Rodney smoothed his hair and waited an appropriate amount of time after John knocked before opening the door. He was presented with a medium-sized box and a chocolate cupcake.

“What’s this for?” he asked, tossing the box carelessly in the direction of the living room so he could take possession of the cupcake.

“Ms. Palamber on Greene Street tells me it’s Delivery Guy Appreciation Day,” John replied with a smirk. “She gave me a whole tray of those.”

“That’s not a real thing.”

“Tell that to Ms. Palamber. Sign here.” John held out the scanner and Rodney jotted off something that bore little resemblance to his name. “Do you want to appreciate me before I go?”

If that wasn’t some kind of flirty innuendo, Rodney would give up coffee for a week. Well, three days at most.

“Um.”

“Enjoy the cupcake,” John said with a wink.

Rodney watched him walk back to his truck. Those uniform shorts didn’t hide a thing, and for a skinny guy he had a pretty decent ass.

*o*o*o*

It took Rodney a minute to process the pounding on his front door as something that needed his attention. He stumbled down the hall, and nearly tripped over a fold in the throw rug. He thumped against the door, and then fumbled with the knob for what seemed like a long time.

When he finally got the door open John was on the other side, scowling.

“Are you okay, Dr. McKay?”

Rodney leaned against the doorjamb, mostly to keep from sliding to the floor. “I’m ceb...cella…havin’ a party.”

“Right.” John looked past Rodney at the obviously empty house. “Party of one?”

“I’m a genius.”

“That so?” John cupped Rodney’s elbow and propelled him into the house, kicking the door shut behind them. 

“I did it. All by myself.” Rodney leaned heavily against John. “And it works.”

“What did you build?” John asked. He deposited Rodney on the couch. 

“Where’s my package?”

“I don’t have one for you today. Dr. McKay, focus. What did you build?” John squatted down, his hands on Rodney’s knees.

“Einsh…Einey…uh…ERB.”

“ERB,” John repeated, and then tipped his head to the side just a little. Rodney thought he was pretty sexy, for a delivery guy. He wondered if John put a lot of gunk in his hair, or if it was soft. It looked soft.

“You built an Einstein-Rosen Bridge in your basement?” John asked, incredulous. “And it works?”

“Works,” Rodney agreed. “Just ask myself. Oh, wait. No. I left.”

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, just for a minute. His other self had appeared through the bridge, a gateway to an alternate Earth, and he was a happier version of Rodney. The bastard. All suave and cheerful and married. To a man! That, more than anything, had prompted the drinking. Why explore alternate universes if every other Rodney was going to have a better life than he did? 

While he was pondering the unfairness of it all, he fell asleep.

*o*o*o*

“Sign this,” John said. He pushed the non-disclosure agreement across the table, and it was so thick it could easily be used as a weapon.

“Not without reading it,” Rodney objected. Although, really, there was no way he was going to wade through all that legal mumbo-jumbo. “Maybe you could just give me the highlights?”

John grinned. He’d traded the delivery uniform for military BDUs, though Rodney suspected he’d look just as good wearing a flour sack.

“It’s the usual. You can’t talk to anyone outside of the SGC about the work you’re doing, and within the SGC only to staff who have the same or higher clearance. The government will own all your work, and pay you handsomely for it. They’re particularly interested in anything that can be used in the fight against the Ori and the Goa’uld.”

“And I get my own team, right?”

“Of course.”

Rodney nodded. Apparently the eggheads at Area 51 had been working on their own ERB, with no success. The fact that he’d built a working model in his basement must’ve had them fuming. They were better off sticking with aliens – which Rodney wasn’t the least bit surprised to discover were fact instead of fiction – and leaving the exploration of parallel dimensions to him.

“I want you,” Rodney said. He’d been a little put out when he first discovered John had been spying on him. Then again, there were apparently worse people that could have taken an interest in his work and they wouldn’t have been as accommodating. Or sexy.

“Are you sure you want an uneducated delivery boy slowing you down?” John asked, one eyebrow arched. 

Rodney flushed, because of course that wasn’t the truth. He’d been at Cheyenne Mountain all of two days, long enough to hear about the much-vaunted Major Sheppard, who possessed a powerful gene and could leap tall buildings in a single bound. Apparently he was also some kind of math whiz.

“Well, I might need you to carry equipment,” Rodney replied.

John grinned. “If I say yes, will you sign?”

Rodney held up a pen, twisting it back and forth with his fingers.

“I’m in. But only if you let me help pick the rest of the team.”

“Fine, but I get final veto,” Rodney said. “That’s non-negotiable.”

“Okay then. Let’s do it.”

Rodney could hardly contain his excitement. It was finally happening! He was going to explore brave new worlds, just like on Star Trek, only they’d be alternate Earths instead of different planets.

He opened the NDA to the first signature page and started signing.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** So, this turned into something of a _Sliders_ fusion. Just a different kind of wormhole for Rodney to explore, right? ::grins::


End file.
